2025 Recruiting: Cooper Flagg

[cohenzone]

Played against Corny his junior year in high school (we scrimmaged them at Maloney). He along with Al Marshall, Charlie Muckle and the little PG were really damn good. Cornys fundamentals were good early, posted up like a man and finished so strong. As a team they were so damn fast it was incredible to see, not so much when you were guarding them.

You do realize that his final 4 were the Huskies, UNC, Virginia and Princeton? And there’s a chance he would have gone Ivy if they gave scholarships.

Wish Calhoun was his coach his career at UConn and the NBA would’ve been even better I believe.

I loved that Corny went to UConn, but in hindsiight he probably would have served himself better at UNC. and Dean Smith. He was always very good but kind of plateaued to where Mark Aguirre became the noticeably better offensive player in that class. Corny was a great outlet passer. Cooper Flagg would probably would serve himself better under Hurley.

 

[jibsey]

There’s an article something like “Duke reacts to Cooper Flag’s Big News” (reclassification”). Mention of UCONN but no one seriously expects him to come here. For those of us who dislike Dook it would be sweet but also cause ulcers for their fan base.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I loved that Corny went to UConn, but in hindsiight he probably would have served himself better at UNC. and Dean Smith. He was always very good but kind of plateaued to where Mark Aguirre became the noticeably better offensive player in that class. Corny was a great outlet passer. Cooper Flagg would probably would serve himself better under Hurley.

I wish I had a dollar for every kid that kind of plateaued in his development after going to Dook, and was washed up in the NBA. The list is a long one.

 

[CL82]

Corny was great, without question and I hold him in higher esteem than many as he and I were in the same class. Basically everyone had Mark Aguirre as the top recruit. Landon Turner (won a national title at Indiana) was the only one who was considered by anyone as being ahead of Aguirre (sadly his career ended in a car accident while still at Indiana).



1978 McDonalds All American

[Insert semi-obligatory "what if Calhoun coached Corny, McKay and Aleksinas?" comment.]

Edit-I see @mauconnfan beat me to it.

 

[CL82]

There’s an article something like “Duke reacts to Cooper Flag’s Big News” (reclassification”). Mention of UCONN but no one seriously expects him to come here. For those of us who dislike Dook it would be sweet but also cause ulcers for their fan base.

True. That fan base has a semi hate/respect relationship with us. We've taken away a couple of championships from them. UNC fans like us for that and taking them away from Kentucky.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Played against Corny his junior year in high school (we scrimmaged them at Maloney). He along with Al Marshall, Charlie Muckle and the little PG were really damn good. Cornys fundamentals were good early, posted up like a man and finished so strong. As a team they were so damn fast it was incredible to see, not so much when you were guarding them.

You do realize that his final 4 were the Huskies, UNC, Virginia and Princeton? And there’s a chance he would have gone Ivy if they gave scholarships.

Wish Calhoun was his coach his career at UConn and the NBA would’ve been even better I believe.

Yeah, knew that, but it ultimately came down to UNC and UConn. The kid was also approached by boosters from schools outside (common in those days) of Connecticut and unlike some other highly recruited in state CT players he turned down the cash. Heard that from highly reliable sources. One thing I noticed about Corny’s game before he committed to UConn was how well he used the glass when 4 or 5 feet away, and he had a great little leaning in jumper that was automatic.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

[Insert semi-obligatory "what if Calhoun coached Corny, McKay and Aleksinas?" comment.]

Edit-I see @mauconnfan beat me to it.

I've mentioned this for decades. Corny would have been an AA and a top 15 pick if his college career was under Calhoun. I also fully believe that both McKay and Aleksinas would have been 20lbs lighter in their senior years (lighter throughout their time at UConn) and much better players. That frontline would have ended up reaching it's full potential and turned out better than we were hoping for when we first heard Aleksinas was coming here from Kentucky.

 

[Umami Zen]

Dan/his staff prioritize targets extremely well and utilize their precious time accordingly.. If they think they can get CF on-campus for an OV and are getting indications that it's possible.. Great.. Until then.. Duke is gonna be trying to control the narrative.

 

[mauconnfan]

I've mentioned this for decades. Corny would have been an AA and a top 15 pick if his college career was under Calhoun. I also fully believe that both McKay and Aleksinas would have been 20lbs lighter in their senior years (lighter throughout their time at UConn) and much better players. That frontline would have ended up reaching it's full potential and turned out better than we were hoping for when we first heard Aleksinas was coming here from Kentucky.

Crazy thing is Cornys best year was his freshman year in all reality. Once he had more coaching at Storrs he unfortunately didn’t improve all that much which is crazy. JC would’ve had him quicker, stronger and in shape while getting better throughout his career. Almost ashame.

Ok back to Cooper Flagg….he’d be a great Husky lol

 

[cohenzone]

I wish I had a dollar for every kid that kind of plateaued in his development after going to Dook, and was washed up in the NBA. The list is a long one.

What does that have to do with Corny Thompson? I think he fell the Round 3 after coming out of hs as the cream of the crop.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Crazy thing is Cornys best year was his freshman year in all reality. Once he had more coaching at Storrs he unfortunately didn’t improve all that much which is crazy. JC would’ve had him quicker, stronger and in shape while getting better throughout his career. Almost ashame.

Ok back to Cooper Flagg….he’d be a great Husky lol

Agreed, but nonetheless, Corny and Mike made a huge difference, Perno’s team went from 11-15 the prior year, to 21-8 their freshman year. McKay was recruited by some highly regarded programs. IIRC Al McGuire was somehow involved in his recruitment to some other schools. Heard that scuttlebut years ago.

 

[Deleted at users request]

I wish I had a dollar for every kid that kind of plateaued in his development after going to Dook, and was washed up in the NBA. The list is a long one.

Duke has the 2nd best collection of talent in the NBA after Kentucky. Probably not the best program to go after for player development.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Duke has the 2nd best collection of talent in the NBA after Kentucky. Probably not the best program to go after for player development.

My point was how many of them fizzled AFTER getting an NBA contract? The list is a long one. Kentucky is another one, lots of NBA contracts, and lots of players who didn’t measure up, and fizzled early. Compare that to (percentage wise) players coached by Jim Calhoun who made it to an NBA contract.

 

[HuskyFich]

Duke has the 2nd best collection of talent in the NBA after Kentucky. Probably not the best program to go after for player development.

Talent in the NBA, it’s Duke & Kentucky, then everyone else.

But I will say, there aren’t that many Dukies whose stock rose over the course of the college career. Many of Dukes successful NBA players came in as 1 and dones…

I’d argue that Hurley would get more out of Filipowski than Scheyer ever could. (Actually, there’s no argument there…)

 

[mauconnfan]

Yeah, knew that, but it ultimately came down to UNC and UConn. The kid was also approached by boosters from schools outside (common in those days) of Connecticut and unlike some other highly recruited in state CT players he turned down the cash. Heard that from highly reliable sources. One thing I noticed about Corny’s game before he committed to UConn was how well he used the glass when 4 or 5 feet away, and he had a great little leaning in jumper that was automatic.

Great mid range shooter for sure and agree, used the glass like the old time shooters very well.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Interesting that Boston.com covered this.

Maine's Cooper Flagg, possible No. 1 pick in 2025 NBA Draft, reclassifies

Cooper Flagg's name has been all over the basketball world this summer, and he just made a major career decision. Read more on Boston.com.

www.boston.com

Boston treats every England State as it’s territory except Connecticut

 

[CONN78SEJ]

What does that have to do with Corny Thompson? I think he fell the Round 3 after coming out of hs as the cream of the crop.

I guess you don’t believe “coaching is everything”. Do you think Corny might have done a little better post UConn if he had played for Jim Calhoun? Thanks for the stupid attack.

 

[OceanDoggie]

Boston treats every England State as it’s territory except Connecticut

Most of Portland, MA real estate seems to be swallowed up by Boston money.

 

[runner11]

Duke has the 2nd best collection of talent in the NBA after Kentucky. Probably not the best program to go after for player development.

This will devolve into a debate about semantics but what Duke and especially UK do is not player development. The UK way is just as much “sign the best player, player underperforms and slips in the draft, player shows out in the NBA and outperforms draft slot.” They run a bullshit congested offense that provides little space to operate and typically only let one guy on play on ball. It is kinda funny seeing guys struggle at UK sitting around the perimeter bricking 3s and then enter the NBA immediately as dynamic on ball scorers. When you bring in five 5* a year, your gonna have a bunch of succes stories.

 

[Deleted at users request]

This will devolve into a debate about semantics but what Duke and especially UK do is not player development. The UK way is just as much “sign the best player, player underperforms and slips in the draft, player shows out in the NBA and outperforms draft slot.” They run a Stop congested offense that provides little space to operate and typically only let one guy on play on ball. It is kinda funny seeing guys struggle at UK sitting around the perimeter bricking 3s and then enter the NBA immediately as dynamic on ball scorers. When you bring in five 5* a year, your gonna have a bunch of succes stories.

I haven’t watched Kentucky basketball in awhile but from what I remember they just teach them motion iso basketball for the most part. There’s not complex plays and sets like Hurley does, but it does teach them iso skills necessary for the NBA and how to both be the star and play with stars.

I don’t think getting 5*s to perform in the NBA Is as easy as Duke and UK seem. Otherwise other schools like Kansas and UNC would produce like that too. The talent does help though.

 

[REB1094]

My two cents based on pure speculation and no insider insights -

If Cooper is more interested in being an NBA player right now, he will go to Duke. Considering the reclass, this is the most likely option. I feel like the sleeper pick here is G League Ignite, not UConn. He will have an unlimited green light wherever he goes, and being the top pick in the draft is almost weighted equally between hype and production. The production is a given because the kid is a beast. Duke and GLI bring the hype. Whether that's fair or not does not matter right now - it is what it is, until it isn't.

If Cooper is more interested in refining his skills and being in a program with a strong culture, he will go to UConn. He loses out on some of the hype factor here, and may drop a couple picks in the draft because of it. Again, whether that's fair or not does not matter. It is what it is. He could be the guy that kickstarts "until it isn't", but it is a risk for him. In this scenario Hurley doesn't have to convince him, he has to convince his mother. Cooper is probably only looking for the #1 NBA paycheck, maybe the mother would be drawn to the development and culture

No bad choices for Cooper here. He's in a position where he has his pick of every program in the country. Congrats in advance to whatever he ends up choosing

 

[HuskyHawk]

This will devolve into a debate about semantics but what Duke and especially UK do is not player development. The UK way is just as much “sign the best player, player underperforms and slips in the draft, player shows out in the NBA and outperforms draft slot.” They run a Stop congested offense that provides little space to operate and typically only let one guy on play on ball. It is kinda funny seeing guys struggle at UK sitting around the perimeter bricking 3s and then enter the NBA immediately as dynamic on ball scorers. When you bring in five 5* a year, your gonna have a bunch of succes stories.

Not really. Certainly not at Duke. Cal simply lets the guys play, lets them try to showcase their skills. Duke runs a legit system and produces good pros.

 

[Deleted at users request]

Talent in the NBA, it’s Duke & Kentucky, then everyone else.

But I will say, there aren’t that many Dukies whose stock rose over the course of the college career. Many of Dukes successful NBA players came in as 1 and dones…

I’d argue that Hurley would get more out of Filipowski than Scheyer ever could. (Actually, there’s no argument there…)

I agree the one and dones helped them a lot. They used to have solid NBA guys before like Hill and Brand but most guys were duds or role players like JJ. Since the one and dones came now they have the superstars.

For the time being we can say Hurley will get you drafted high if you have the talent. But it still remains to be seen if his guys do well in the NBA.

Not saying they aren’t going to, I’m just saying that hasn’t been proven yet. It hasn’t for Scheyer in that case either though.

 

[ctchamps]

Yeah, knew that, but it ultimately came down to UNC and UConn. The kid was also approached by boosters from schools outside (common in those days) of Connecticut and unlike some other highly recruited in state CT players he turned down the cash. Heard that from highly reliable sources. One thing I noticed about Corny’s game before he committed to UConn was how well he used the glass when 4 or 5 feet away, and he had a great little leaning in jumper that was automatic.

Buying players has always happened and was more common than most of us want to admit.

NIL increased the number of players but the system is essentially the same. Some individuals who did not want to cross the illegality line are now participants. Conceptually similar to drinking during and after prohibition. There was an increase in the numbers of drinkers after it was removed. A portion of the population remained adamant drinking is wrong. Same with NIL.

 

[superjohn]

My two cents based on pure speculation and no insider insights -

If Cooper is more interested in being an NBA player right now, he will go to Duke. Considering the reclass, this is the most likely option. I feel like the sleeper pick here is G League Ignite, not UConn. He will have an unlimited green light wherever he goes, and being the top pick in the draft is almost weighted equally between hype and production. The production is a given because the kid is a beast. Duke and GLI bring the hype. Whether that's fair or not does not matter right now - it is what it is, until it isn't.

If Cooper is more interested in refining his skills and being in a program with a strong culture, he will go to UConn. He loses out on some of the hype factor here, and may drop a couple picks in the draft because of it. Again, whether that's fair or not does not matter. It is what it is. He could be the guy that kickstarts "until it isn't", but it is a risk for him. In this scenario Hurley doesn't have to convince him, he has to convince his mother. Cooper is probably only looking for the #1 NBA paycheck, maybe the mother would be drawn to the development and culture

No bad choices for Cooper here. He's in a position where he has his pick of every program in the country. Congrats in advance to whatever he ends up choosing